Two sisters, two styles, one passion!

Main menu

Post navigation

Grapefruit Pie

I love citrus and grapefruit is one of my favorites. It reminds me of being at my grandparents house in Florida and picking the tart fruit right from the tree! As I was testing my key lime pie last year I started thinking about the possibility of grapefruit pie. I’ve tried different variations of grapefruit pie over the last year and finally came up with one that I think is perfect. As I researched grapefruit pie, I realized that they all use the actual wedges, and made a fruit pie, while I wanted more of a custard. So I juiced the grapefruit and simmered it and reduced it by half so it was super sweet and super tart. I also used the zest of one whole grapefruit to make sure it had tons of flavor. Then I took the custard base that I use for the key lime pie and used the grapefruit juice and zest instead. I couldn’t be more happy with the results and I hope you like it too!

~Janna

Ingredients for filling:

1 cup grapefruit juice, I used Ruby Red but any variety will do (One very large grapefruit will give you about 1 cup)
Zest from your grapefruit
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
3 large egg yolks
1 9″ graham cracker crust (or you can use a ready made crust)

In a 9 inch pie plate mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar. Pour the butter into the dish and mix with a fork until all the graham cracker is coated. Press mixture onto the sides of the dish and then press into the middle making an even thickness throughout. Set aside.

To make the whipped cream, put the heavy cream into a cold mixer bowl (I stick mine in the freezer beforehand for a few minutes). Using the whisk attachment and the mixer on high, whip the cream until it thickens up and forms peaks (3-4 minutes). Turn the mixer off and add your vanilla and powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on medium to incorporate the sugar and vanilla. Once finished, put the whipped cream into a lidded air-tight container and store in refrigerator. You will need your bowl and whisk attachment again so you’ll need to wash it.

Squeeze grapefruit juice into a small bowl or sauce pot. Strain out seeds and big clumps of pulp.

Simmer in sauce pot on med/high heat to reduce by half. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. You will end up with 1/2 a cup of reduced juice. Add the zest and cool in an ice bath. (Don’t skip the ice bath! You do this so you don’t cook the eggs by adding hot juice.)

Once the juice isn’t hot to the touch (it’s okay if it’s warm) add it, the sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks to a mixer bowl. Using your whisk attachment again, blend on high until well incorporated, 1-2 minutes.

Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Let pie rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before chilling it in the fridge. Top with homemade whipped cream and serve cold.